Coffee Break Chat: 2

Hello friends and welcome to the second monthly “Coffee Break” post. This is where I share a virtual cup of coffee and treat with my fans, while I share with you updates on life, and all things TSFB!

Now on last month's post, I promised my next post wouldn't be so long, well I apologize but there is so much to chat about today!! Hopefully I don't bore you and you read on! I'll TRY to keep future Coffee Break posts shorter , but no more promises! :)

Now more than ever this virtual chat is appropriate with the social distancing requirement due to COVID-19. I hope that with all this craziness you are all well and enjoying some family time, time to reset and recharge, maybe get some spring cleaning done, get up to date on your DVR, or maybe dive into a great book you've been wanting to read but couldn't find the time to do so.

In the midst of all this, please do not forget to check on your elderly neighbors and see what they need if anything (but keep your 6 ft distance when doing so!) Although this down time does have some some great benefits, I do want to say this... in case people haven't realized it yet, the longer you don't comply with social distancing, the longer we are going to have to do it! So please, just do it so we can get back to reality! Our economy and our sanity depend on it!

Now, I promised I would use these posts to share with you a bit of my personal life, so I would like to tell you about some exciting family things from this past month.

My oldest, Camran, (the one who the Summit Snacks are inspired by) has a goal of moving up North deep into the Adirondacks. He is an avid outdoorsman who loves fishing, kayaking, and his biggest passion, climbing those mountains! Well over the winter he applied to the ADK Loj for a seasonal position. His goal is to start with this position, and hopefully be hired on full time at the end of the season. Regardless, he plans on making the ADK his first adult home.

Well he was hired! He is beyond excited! I am so happy for him, as I know this experience will be incredibly good for him, but it is bitter sweet. My baby bird is leaving the nest, and as a mother that is HARD. Due to COVID-19 however, his departure date has been postponed by a month (for now, who knows what will happen). Sad for him, yes, but this mama bear isn't too upset about the delay ;)

Meanwhile, my youngest Emilie, finished up her first year as a high school cheerleader, as our boys basketball team competed in Sectionals. Mechanicville really kicked butt (both girls and boys) this season and the Red Raider Nation couldn't be more proud of our athletes! Emilie also got her permit, and I have had the “privilege” of teaching her to drive! I've already been through this once with her brother, so its not scary... well not TOO. scary LOL!

You may recall, that in last months Coffee Break Chat I shared with you, that I had a scheduled appointment with NYS Small Business Development Center. Well that appointment was fantastic and was the first of many. The counselor I met with was so helpful and provided me some great tools I needed to organize my accounting and bookkeeping side of TSFB. He was also very impressed with what I have created and how far I have taken TSFB in such a short time. He was thrilled that I have done my own research and have a solid plan in place to grow this little bakery of mine.

I'm looking forward to implementing the new tools he was able to provide me as well as our next meeting. I encourage anyone who is considering to start a new business, or are in the early stages of a new business to check out this FREE program offered by the state. The guidance, support, and knowledge they offer you really is priceless!

In other Sugar Fairy news, unless you have been living under a rock, you know that I am now offering daily specials with FREE DELIVERY! Thanks to COVID-19 I had to switch things up a bit and fast! All small businesses are in serious jeopardy right now, and now more than ever we rely on the support of our customers. TSFB is the smallest of small businesses, and I really cannot express my gratitude for the support I have received from my customers this past week.

Now, I don't yet know if the daily specials and delivery will continue when things are back to normal, but for right now they seem to be working. As I stated in a recent post, the purpose of the daily specials is to offer you a variety of my scratch bakes, while keeping things manageable for me. Being a team of ONE, I have to keep to some type of order so that I do not sacrifice product quality or crash and burnout. With that said however, you are NOT limited to only the daily specials.

I offer a large menu and do many “off menu items”, so if the daily special is not your thing, just send me a message letting me know what you want. If I have the supplies and the time I will accommodate every request!

You can place your order simply by messaging me here on Facebook. You can pay online (I have several options for this) and I will deliver to your doorstep, no contact necessary! Also even if you do not want a treat for yourself, please consider donating a bake or gifting a treat with my Gift Of Caring purchase option. Just remember, please do not order day of, rather give me at least 24 hour notice so I can schedule your bakes. Remember I'm a team of one and every single bake is made fresh upon order. Nothing is pre-made waiting around to be purchase.

Now before I go, I just want to give a major shout out to the all the hero's I have come across this past week. The obvious ones, being doctors and nurses. You are there day in day out in the eye of the storm, treating the ill and not just those with the Coronavirus, but everyday ailments that still exist! You are working with a supply shortage, and risking your own health to help others.

Secondly, I'd like to thank our school district who has been simply AMAZING! From the front line, all the way down to the lunch ladies, transportation department, and all the volunteers. You are working tirelessly to provide us up to date information, feed our children, and maintain some sort of normalcy in continuing our children's education even from home.

Third, as always MACSC pulls through to help any and all community members. No need to go hungry. Contact MACSC and they will help put food on your table. To all the moms and dads out there, stay strong! You are all superheroes in your own right! You are navigating new territory here. You are learning to home school, and trying so hard to maintain some type of normalcy for your family when things are anything but normal. Many of you have lost your jobs, and are worried and stressed and are trying so hard to not show that stress to the littles. You are creating fun activities for the family while trying to figure out how to maintain the required social distancing and not kill each other in the process! You got this!!!

To the small businesses who are trying to stay afloat and not let their hard work tank and plummet, thank you for going the extra mile to do what you can to provide an income for your employees, and for delivering to your customers so they need not worry.

Last but certainly not least, my customers. I've said it a MILLION times, and I will continue to say it. SUGAR FAIRY FANS ARE THE BEST! You have your own struggles and worry, finances are tight, but you are still helping me stay in business! THANK YOU! That $10 donation you purchased, provided for my family, and an elderly person in need. That gift card you bought, generated income for me today, and provided you with a treat for the future. Those cinnabuns you bought, brought a sweet smile to your own families table in a time of stress and worry, and provided me with knowing my business will be ok for one more day.

Thank you.

I leave you hoping you all stay well. Practice your social distancing so we can end this craziness and get back to our normal reality. Wash your hands! Check on your elderly neighbors, and please continue to support your local small business anyway you can! A purchase, a review, or a social media page share. In the end it helps us all.

I look forward to our coffee chat next month when hopefully we will all be in better times.

Stay well friends!

Love, Stacie Blair, AKA The Sugar Fairy